obbo

English

Etymology

Shortened from observation +‎ -o.

Noun

obbo (countable and uncountable, plural obbos)

1. (slang) police observation

   Synonym: obs

   • 2013, Ross Bradshaw, Crime:

     Thing is, victim was under obbo. He'd done time. He was a nark.

   • 2017, Phil Rickman, All of a Winter's Night:

     If we'd known about that two or three weeks ago, had him under obbo – assuming we could afford that – we could be looking at a serious result by now.

   • 2020, Richi of MaliStrip (lyrics and music), “Trap Giddy (aka L-Tizzy)” (1:59–2:17 from the start), in Welcome To Leyton (Mixtape):

     That block popping,
     them bodies dropping like it’s nothing,
     them pigs watching
     […] My nitties always clucking for my food, cause they love it
     Got a bitch, yeah she swallows,
     my whole strip, that’s an obbo
     Them jakes, yeah they follow
     I got light, I got choco

   • 2021, “On Me”, in Parallel World, performed by Cadence Weapon:

     I step out, the CCTV clocks me / Under obbo like man shots keys

Verb

obbo (third-person singular simple present obbos, present participle obboing, simple past and past participle obboed)

1. To keep under police observation.
   • 2019 September 26, Richi of MaliStrip (lyrics and music), “Lines Banging” (2:52–2:57 from the start)‎^[1]:

     Feds on the set, trynna obbo my gang
     Paigons chattin', it ain't harmin' us

Anagrams

• Bo-Bo, Bobo, bobo, boob